GnRH prescribing safeguards proposed

Prescribers of GnRH agonists to people aged under18 may need to comply with additional safeguards, under recommendations from the Commission on Human Medicines.

Recommendations for additional safeguards to facilitate safe UK prescribing of GnRH agonists in this age group include:

Complete a risk acknowledgment form with the patient and/or parents or carers
Consistently audited common care standards for specialist gender services

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland are considering proposals to introduce a permanent order restricting the sale and supply of gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH) agonists in children and young people under 18 years for the purpose of puberty suppression in respect of gender dysphoria, gender incongruence, or a combination of both.

Regarding the safety of the prescribing environment, CHM has recommended that:

the restrictions in the temporary prohibition order should continue indefinitely for prescribers registered outside the UK
there should be a review of the order in April 2027 for prescribers who are registered to practise in the UK
a risk acknowledgement form should be developed for use with patients and/or parents or carers
a common care standard for specialist gender services is developed for children and young people
there should be a funded strategy for capturing and reporting long term safety and efficacy data across all UK gender specialist services.

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